High-performance smart solar powered on-chip capacitive energy storage. High performance and environmentally friendly on-chip power system is the key bottleneck issue limiting the further performance improvement and miniaturisation of ever-increasing portable optoelectronic devices. Building on previous work, including recent breakthroughs of on-chip photonic devices in patterned graphene oxide thin film and the record-breaking nanophotonics solar cells, the project aims to investigate a new con ....High-performance smart solar powered on-chip capacitive energy storage. High performance and environmentally friendly on-chip power system is the key bottleneck issue limiting the further performance improvement and miniaturisation of ever-increasing portable optoelectronic devices. Building on previous work, including recent breakthroughs of on-chip photonic devices in patterned graphene oxide thin film and the record-breaking nanophotonics solar cells, the project aims to investigate a new concept of super-resolution direct laser printing and simultaneous dopant activation of graphene oxide thin films. It is expected that the conceptually new development of the functional graphene oxide film patterning will allow for smart solar-powered on-chip power systems that outperform the state-of-the-art pollution generating batteries.Read moreRead less
Investigation into a graphene ultra-flat lens array for silicon solar cells breaking the Shockley-Queisser efficiency limit. Based on a recent discovery of the giant refractive index modulation associated with graphene oxide to graphene transition upon laser exposure and the breakthrough of graphene silicon solar cells. This project aims to investigate a new concept of an integratible, broadband, dispersionless, ultraflat lens array from nanostructured graphene oxide/graphene. This conceptually ....Investigation into a graphene ultra-flat lens array for silicon solar cells breaking the Shockley-Queisser efficiency limit. Based on a recent discovery of the giant refractive index modulation associated with graphene oxide to graphene transition upon laser exposure and the breakthrough of graphene silicon solar cells. This project aims to investigate a new concept of an integratible, broadband, dispersionless, ultraflat lens array from nanostructured graphene oxide/graphene. This conceptually new development of functional graphene oxide/graphene lens array in combination with a lumpy nanoparticle enabled back light trapping layer will allow for the non-reciprocal coupling of the broadband solar light into the photovoltaic devices with minimised entropy losses. Thus ultrahigh efficiency solar cells exceeding the conventional theoretical limit can be developed.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE130100067
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$150,000.00
Summary
A femtosecond Mmd-IR optical parametric amplifier source for waveguide nonlinear optics. The mid-infrared is an immensely important region of the optical spectrum for sensing toxic or illicit molecules or pollutants using their spectral fingerprints. The equipment will facilitate the development of new techniques for sensing based on nonlinear processes in waveguides.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100320
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,000.00
Summary
Increasing efficiency in tandem silicon-perovskite solar cells. This project aims to increase the efficiency of silicon solar cells. Organo-halide perovskites semiconductors will improve crystalline silicon’s single-junction solar cell efficiency from its current ~25% record to the theoretical limit of 30% at an affordable cost for the market. This project will integrate organo-halide perovskite semiconductors with silicon cells in a tandem solar cell, a structure that harvests sunlight more eff ....Increasing efficiency in tandem silicon-perovskite solar cells. This project aims to increase the efficiency of silicon solar cells. Organo-halide perovskites semiconductors will improve crystalline silicon’s single-junction solar cell efficiency from its current ~25% record to the theoretical limit of 30% at an affordable cost for the market. This project will integrate organo-halide perovskite semiconductors with silicon cells in a tandem solar cell, a structure that harvests sunlight more efficiently. This project should lead to the development of solar cells with state-of-the-art efficiencies greater than 30% at an affordable cost for the energy market.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130101300
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Molecules and mirrors: new directions in chemistry and organic optoelectronics using hybrid light or matter states. This project will explore the exotic mixtures of light and matter that can form when molecules are placed in nano-scale mirror cavities. If the chemical reactivity of these mixed light or matter states can be controlled, a new generation of efficient, organic solar energy capture and storage devices is anticipated.
Linear Formation Interferometry for Astrophysics and New Space Technologies. This project will prototype a new type of visible and infrared light interferometry: telescopes freely moving in a line 10s of metres in length and directing their light towards a central beam combiner. This is particularly well suited to sparse aperture optical interferometry from space, which can be used to resolve angular scales much finer than the world's largest monolithic telescopes. The ground based prototype wil ....Linear Formation Interferometry for Astrophysics and New Space Technologies. This project will prototype a new type of visible and infrared light interferometry: telescopes freely moving in a line 10s of metres in length and directing their light towards a central beam combiner. This is particularly well suited to sparse aperture optical interferometry from space, which can be used to resolve angular scales much finer than the world's largest monolithic telescopes. The ground based prototype will also be able to make a several key astrophysical observations of benchmark stars and stellar systems, including making precise polarimetric measurements of dust shells around bright stars.Read moreRead less
Understanding and controlling of photoferroelectricity for photoenergy uses. The project seeks to develop high performance photoferroelectric materials for a wide range of photoenergy conversion technologies like photovoltaics and photocatalytics. For the past 50 years, ferroelectric photovoltaics have only been an academic curiosity due to their low energy conversion efficiency relative to the popular semiconductor photovoltaics. This project aims to unlock the potential of ferroelectric photov ....Understanding and controlling of photoferroelectricity for photoenergy uses. The project seeks to develop high performance photoferroelectric materials for a wide range of photoenergy conversion technologies like photovoltaics and photocatalytics. For the past 50 years, ferroelectric photovoltaics have only been an academic curiosity due to their low energy conversion efficiency relative to the popular semiconductor photovoltaics. This project aims to unlock the potential of ferroelectric photovoltaics by introducing an ion co-substitution, which is coupled with electron-pinning, into promising ferroelectric materials and investigating the resultant photo-excited electronic and electrical properties. It is anticipated that the outcomes from this proposed project will provide a solution for optimal ferroelectric visible light absorption to achieve high power conversion efficiency in ferroelectric materials for practical photoenergy applications.Read moreRead less
Photonic crystals at visible wavelengths. Three dimensional sculptured nano-structures made at a very high spatial resolution will open way to control light emission, propagation, and transmission at the visible wavelengths. Optically thin and transparent solar cells will be able to harvest light using structures.
Understanding nature with twisted photons. Technological and scientific advances occur due to new tools being used to explore nature. This project will give Australia the world leadership in the study of nature through the use of twisted photons. This new tool may open the door to answer fundamental questions about the universe.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE170100217
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$850,000.00
Summary
Australian Partnership in Advanced LIGO+. This project aims to improve the sensitivity of the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (aLIGO). aLIGO’s detection of gravitational waves proved general relativity in the strong field limit and the existence of black hole binary systems. The increased sensitivity will enable daily detections and new classes of events, opening the field of gravitational wave astronomy. Since telescopes can detect only 5% of the stuff in the univer ....Australian Partnership in Advanced LIGO+. This project aims to improve the sensitivity of the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (aLIGO). aLIGO’s detection of gravitational waves proved general relativity in the strong field limit and the existence of black hole binary systems. The increased sensitivity will enable daily detections and new classes of events, opening the field of gravitational wave astronomy. Since telescopes can detect only 5% of the stuff in the universe, this is expected to greatly improve understanding of the universe. This Australian partnership will put its physicists and astronomers at the vanguard of this field and inspire the next generation to study the physical sciences.Read moreRead less